Anil (center) rings the gong for the Travel Mart. Tan, Ajay, Sharzede and Zakaria can also be seen from the left.
KUCHING (September 23): Over 100 sellers from Malaysia and over 400 buyers from India took part in the Malaysia Travel Mart program here.
It is held in conjunction with the three-day Congress of Travel Agents Federation of India (TAFI) 2022 which concludes today (September 23) at the Borneo Convention Center in Kuching.
Organized by Tourism Malaysia, the program is a business-to-business meeting (B2B) between Indian buyers and Malaysian sellers, who participate in attracting potential new customers.
Malaysian sellers include 33 travel agencies, 17 product owners, 37 hotels and resorts, one airline, 7 hotel-related associations and 6 state representatives.
Tourism Malaysia vice-chairman Datuk Seri Dr Anil Jett Singh Sandhu said Sarawak was chosen for the plan because it is a relatively undeveloped destination for Indian tourists, adding that the state An excellent venue for destination weddings, family trips and corporate events.
“This is an opportunity for our industry players to meet our Indian counterparts, to network and strengthen our travel relationships, in addition to promoting our latest travel products and packages.
“In fact, we hope that these initiatives will help increase tourist arrivals in India and indirectly benefit the tourism and national economies of both countries,” Anil said at the launch.
At a press conference later, Anil said the number of arrivals from India currently ranks fourth in Malaysia and fifth in Sarawak.
“Hopefully we can reach 40% to 50%, that’s why we are working with Tourism Malaysia and Tourism Sarawak to make this happen,” he said.
The Indian market contributed 735,309 arrivals in 2019, accounting for 22% of Malaysia’s total arrivals.
Also present at the program were TAFI Chairman Ajay Prakash, Malaysian Association of Tour and Travel Agents (MATTA) Chairman Datuk Tan Kok Liang, STB Chief Executive Officer Sharzede Datu Salleh Askor and Tourism Malaysia Corporate Communications Division Zakaria Nani.
